UEFA Champions League action returned with a blockbuster fixture between English Champions Manchester City and German Champions Bayern Munich. Both of the teams were favorites to taste European success heading into the first leg of the Quarter-finals at Etihad.
It was comprehensively won by the hosts and they will fly to Germany with a 3 goal cushion. Bayern will have to produce one of their best performances overcome a threatening City team. One of the questions which comes across this tie – will the winners at Munich eventually win it all at Istanbul?
https://youtu.be/tChzq0yZdNQ
But it’s a long time until the Final and anything can happen. The UEFA Champions League for the past couple of years has shown terrific unpredictability and we should not expect anything less this year too.
Meanwhile, both Thomas Tuchel and Pep Guardiola reflected on the result and their performance after the match. While the former expected a win, his Spanish counterpart felt emotionally destroyed.
Pep Guardiola's Manchester City side make history 👏
They're unbeaten in their last 25 home Champions League matches at the Etihad (23 wins, 2 draws).
The longest unbeaten home run by a Premier League club in the UCL ever. pic.twitter.com/HMQtoYi7rM
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) April 11, 2023
Goals from Rodri, Bernardo Silva and Erling Haaland was the difference maker and Tuchel who replaced Julien Nagelsmann to take charge of only his 3rd competitive match, said that the Bavarians were unlucky to have lost 3-0 at Etihad.
“This does not feel like a 3-0 but it is a 3-0 and it is a huge, huge task now to turn this around. We are realistic but we will not give up. It will not be over until we are in the shower.”
Erling Haaland is the 𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐒𝐓 Premier League player in history to score 45 goals in a single season.
ANOTHER RECORD FALLS. 🇳🇴 pic.twitter.com/ZKsRskLyPg
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) April 11, 2023
The 49-year-old German manager said that Rodri’s opening goal changed the momentum and spoke about his players’ reaction as the game went on. “The reaction was great during the first half. In the second half, it was even better. In the period where the goal could give us a huge boost of confidence, the opposite happened.” – Tuchel concluded.
2-time Champions League winning manager with Barcelona, Pep Guardiola mirrored the fact that Bayern were absolutely tight until the 55th-60th minute and said that a second-half tweaking in the line-up helped them prevail over a daunting side.
He also reminded that City will have to do something different at the return leg at Allianz Arena to seal back-to-back Semi-final berth.
“From the start of the second half, they were better. We could not control them. But we adjusted something and we were better. It is an incredible result. But we have to do something in Munich at a little bit better not to suffer too much. We will try to do it.”
